Fabric thickness gauge



Jan. 23, 1951 C, BODWELL 2,538,858

FABRIC THICKNESS GAUGE Filed Feb. 3, 1949 Patented Jan. 23, Y1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FABRIC THICKNESS GAUGE `Corliss L. Bodwell, Springvale, Maine, assignor to Goodall-Sanford, Inc., Samford, Maine, la corporation of Maine Application February 3, 1949, Serial No. 74,330

(C1. ss-i'm It is very` important that the thickness of fabric of any given quality, and particularly of relatively thick fabrics such as pile fabrics, shall be maintained uniform and constant throughout the entire length being woven. This :is necessary to maintain constant and uniform the weight, the quality, the finish, and the general character of the fabric throughout its length and width.

While it is possible to caliper the fabric adjacent its edges while it is being Woven, no practical means have been provided for measuring the thickness .in the central section or at substantial distances from the edges of the web of the fabric while the weaving operation is proceeding. While the loom may be adjusted to compensate changes in thickness as the yweaving proceeds, such adjustments cannot accurately or intelligently be made Without first ascertaining the exact thickness.

In the weaving of pile fabric, often woven 54 in width, this fabric, for example, is quite commonly woven double. That is, the fabric is woven with two grounds with the pile extending therebetween and the pile being out midway of the grounds as the weaving operation proceeds. As an illustration of the accuracy required a commercial quality of such pile fabric is woven with a total thickness of .085", allowance must be made for shearing of each of the two pieces of from .005" to .008, and therefore any variation in thickness of each piece of more than from .003 to .005" in the thickness of each piece would impair the quality and therefore impair its value.

The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus by means of which readily and easily at any time during the weaving operation, and at any location throughout the width of the fabric, the thickness may be determined with absolute accuracy.

The nature and objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawing and will be particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a detail more or less diagrammatic and chiefiy in longitudinal vertical cross section of a portion of the front of a loom engaged in weaving double pile fabric with the apparatus of the invention illustrated in position therein;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, partially broken away, of a preferred form of instrumentemployed vin the invention; and,

Fig. 3 is a detail, -chieiiy intransverse cross section, of the instrument shown in Fig. 2`

The invention is illustrated as appliedv to lthe 4determination Vof the thickness `of a pile fabric woven double in -a loom, `but it kis to be under-- Vstood that `this is merely illustrative and the Tinvention is equally applicable to any 'form rof y'loorn .and I'to any type of fabric `woven infa loom.

'In Fig. `1 the double pile 'fabric I is `shown passing throughthe usual yguide '2 and b'eing cut midway by the usual knife 3 into the two fseparate pile fabricsl and 5. The lower fabric 5 is shown passing around lthe rolls i6 and .1 -'and `is usually thereafter rolled up. So also the upper Vpile fabric l is shown passing around 'the rolls 8 and 9 and also extends down andv is wound up upon another cloth roll.

The present invention is shown as applied to the determination of the thickness of the pile fabric 4.

The complete apparatus consists of a flat plate located on, and usually permanently attached to, the loom at a suitable place after the fabric leaves the roll 9 and extending beneath and throughout the entire width of the fabric and an instrument for cooperating with this flat plate by means of which the thickness is determined.

The flat plate is here shown as a iiat section or surface I0 formed on the element Il in the nature of a breast beam constituted as a part of the loom.

The instrument for cooperating with this flat plate, shown generally at I2, is illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises a base I3, preferably of metal, and rectangular in shape. This base is provided with a plurality of sharppointed legs i4, preferably four in number, one located near each corner of the base plate. Each of these legs is shown as having an enlarged shank I5 in screw threaded engagement with projections i 5 rigid with the base. A micrometer gauge Il of standard form having a usual dial I8, preferably graduated in at least thousandths of an inch, and a pointer I 9 is mounted on the base. This micrometer is provided with a vertically movable plunger 20 acting through the usual mechanism to rotate the pointer I9 over the dial and this plunger depends from the base and terminates in a fiat foot 2l. The plunger and the sharp pointed legs are relatively vertically adjustable, in the case illustrated by the vertical adjustment of the legs, and the adjustment should be so made that when the flat foot of the plunger and the points of the legs are in a plane the pointer on the dial will indicate zero.

Suitable means are provided for elevating the plunger prior to the determination of thickness and for that purpose a rod 22 is shown pivoted at its inner end to a link 23 in turn pivoted at 24 on the base. This rod extends beneath a shoulder 25 on the plunger 20, slides through a bracket 26 on the base and is provided at its outer end with an operating handle 2. Preferably the working portion of the instrument is enclosed by a suitable casing, such as the box-like cover 28 mounted on the top of the base.

In the operation of determining the thickness of the fabric the operator presses in the handle 21 raising the plunger 2 and places the instrument above the Hat plate i at any desired location widthwise of the fabric causing the sharppointed legs to penetrate the fabric and engage the ilat plate. He then releases the handle 21 until the at foot 2| rests upon the top of the fabric. Thereupon the exact thickness of the :fabric is indicated on the dial of the micrometer.

The'apparatus has been found in use readily and accurately to measure the thickness and to `enable the thickness of the fabric to be measured -at any location throughout its width and length rwhile the Weaving operation is proceeding so that if there is any Variation from the standard thickness adjustment of the loom may be promptly made to compensate for such variation and :insure uniformity in thickness of the fabric being woven.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is;

An apparatus for determining the thickness of fabric at any location transversely thereof while in the loom comprising the combination of a flat plate for positioning beneath and in contact with the fabric and extending transversely thereof while in the loom and an instrument for cooperating with the plate having a base, a. plurality of at least three legs transversely spaced in two directions and mounted in the base and depending in parallelism therefrom and having sharp fabric-penetrating points located in a plane normal to the legs, a micrometer gauge mounted on the base, a plunger mounted in and depending from the base and movable in the base in parallelism with the legs and acting when thus moved to operate the gauge, the said plunger having a flat foot the bottom surface of which lies in a plane parallel with the plane in which the said points are located, the said apparatus acting, when the plate is in position beneath and in contact with the fabric and the instrument is placed on the fabric with the points of the legs penetrating the fabric and engaging the plate and with the foot of the plunger resting on the fabric,

to cause the gauge to indicate the thickness of the fabric.

CORLISS L. BODWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 520,201 Bath May 22, 1894 1,303,387 Pogue May 13, 1919 1,927,821 Abbott Sept. 26, 1933 2,224,728 Gulliksen Dec. 10, 1940 

